Knitted fabric construction



Patented Sept. 9, 19.41

2,255,224 KNITTED mismo CONSTRUCTION Hans P. Luhn, North Tarrytown, N. Y., assignor to Improved Products and Machinery Co. Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application July 8; 1938, Serial No. 218,077

1 Claim. (Cl. 66-178) The invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in knitted fabric construction and more particularly to a'knittedfabric having a novel knitted elastic area produced therein.

The main object of the invention is to provide an improved knitted fabric constructionv wherein an'area in the fabric is provided which possesses more elasticity or stretch in the direction of the wales of the knitting than is possessed by the fabric which adjoins the same.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved knitted fabric which is formed witha knitted panel therein which differs from the adjoining knitted fabric in that it is possessed of more stretch in the directionof its wales than the adjoining fabric.

A further object is to provide' a knitted fabric which is formed with a knitted area therein which is provided with less knitted loops per unit width than the rest of the fabric.

A further object is to provide an improved knitted stocking construction wherein an area of fabric is formed therein which has more elasticity or stretch inthe direction of the wales of the knitting than is present in the fabric which adjoins the same.

A further object is to provide an improved knitted stocking which is formed with a knitted panel areaabove the knee portionthereof and wherein said panel area differs from the adjoining knitted fabric in that it is possessed oi' more stretch in the direction of its wales than said adjoining fabric. Y

A further object of the invention iseto pro vide an improved stocking which is provided with a knitted area therein which is formed of a plurality of wales vwherein the loops which would ordinarily be knitted therein are omitted and which wales are spaced from each other by wales of ordinarily knitted loops.

A further object of the inventionv is to provide an improved' stocking which is knit with an area therein formed of a plurality of wales wherein the loops ordinarily knitted therein are omitted and -which wales of omitted loops are produced by dropping out needles ofthe knitting machine during the knitting process.

A further object of the invention is toprovide an improved stocking which is knitted with a panel located above the knee kportion thereof, said panel being formed in an artistic design which is produced by a combination of wales of omitted loops and wales of ordinarily knitted loops.

Other objects of the invention will appear more fully hereinafter. v

Referring to the drawings,

Figure l is a view of the knitted fabric of the upper portion of the leg of a stocking and which has embodied therein the. elastic knitted area produced in accordance with my invention:

Figure 2 is a partial viewof a stocking containing the features of my invention and showing the same as it would appear when on the leg of a wearer; p

Figure 3 is a view showing the knitted stocking when the knee of 'the wearer of the same is bent;

' Figures 4, 5, 6, 'I and 8 show in diagrammatic manner examples of panel designs that may be formed in the knitted fabric in carrying out the features of my invention;

Figure 9 is a view illustrating in enlarged form the appearance of several courses and wales of normally knitted loops as they would be usually arranged in a' knitted fabric;

Figure l0 is a view showing in enlarged form the appearance of several courses Aand wales of knitting in an elastic fabric area made in accordance with my invention;

Figure 11 is a view'showing in enlarged form the .appearance of several courses andwales -of knitting in an elastic fabric area made in accordance with my invention, and indicating another arrangement of the loops of theknitting; Figure l2 is a view showing the appearance of the looped structure in Figure 9 when the fabric nitted in lthis manner is in a stretched condi- Figure 13 is a viewy showing the appearance of' theloops in the courses and wales when a fabric area is knitted in the Vmanner indicated in Flg. ure 10,'and when the fabric formed by said construction is in a stretched condition: and e Figure 14 is a view showing the appearance of the loops in the courses and wales `of a yfabric 40; knitted in the manner indicated in Figure 10 and when the fabric is in a stretched condition.

As is well known, when 'a knitted fabric formed into an article of wearing apparel ls in use, there is a considerable strain or tension placed upon ,45 the fabric at different points therein .due to movements that are engaged in by the different lparts of the body of the wearer and whichfare covered by the fabric. For instance. when Ya. knitted stocking is being worn on the leg, a great 50 amount of ,strain is exerted upon the fabric lstructure at the knee portion thereof' because of thev almost continuous bending of'the knee.

` 'Ihese strains often cause the knitted loops'of the fabric, at the points where the strain is greatest,

lo to become ruptured and'thus the fabric is damaged and "runs in the knitted structure of the fabric are produced.

In order to overcome the effect of such strains and in order to relieve the tension on the fabric at the points where they occur.. I propose to provide in the fabric, during the knitting thereof, and adjacent the point of strain, an area which is knitted in such manner that it will have a more decided stretch in the direction of its wales than is possessed by the adjoining regularly knitted fabric.

When a fabric isknitted in accordance with the method disclosed herein, the tension or strain exerted on the same adjacent the points therein where such elastic areas are knitted, will be elfectively relieved and the possibility of injury to the fabric structure because of such strain or tension will be greatly reduced and in fact practically eliminated.

In Figure 1 of the drawings I have shown one wayv of carrying out my invention in connection with a stocking fabric. In this figure the welt portion of'a stocking is indicated at I. The welt may be knitted and formed in the usual well known manner. Adjoining the welt is a knitted fabric section which is generally indicated by the numeral 2. In the fabric section 2, which is positioned above the portion of the stocking fabric which covers the knee, there is formed a knitted area which is composed of a plurality of wales of knitting 4, which are separated from each other by wales 3 in which the looped construction of the knitting has been omitted. The appearance of the looped structure of the fabric in this area in its normal condition, and greatly enlarged, is illustrated in Figure 10.

It will be seen that by knitting this fabric area with the construction as indicated in Figure 10, the thread portions freed by the omitted loops in wales 3 will be drawn, when the fabric is stretched, into the loops of adJoining regularly knitted wales I and will thereby give more thread to said adjoining loops and more stretch will be permitted in the fabric at this point in the direction of the wales of the knitting when a strain or tension is placed on the fabric. The manner and extent of the stretch of thev loops is indicated in Figure 13.

The loop construction of the elastic fabric area produced in the fabric section 2 may be formed by knitting said area so that a series of wales 4 of regularly knitted loops are formed and said wales are separated from each other by wales 3 in which the loops of the knittingA have been dropped out and the yarn intended to be formed into loops in said wales is caused to extend across the wales producing a ladder formation. 'I'his fabric area may also be produced during'the knitting by preventing certain of the knitting needles of the knitting machine from knitting loops in the wales 3 as the knitting proceeds.

Instead of having some of the wales of omitted loops separated from each other by two resularly knitted wales as indicated in Figures 1 and 10, said wales, if desired, may be positioned in the fabric area so that they will alternate with one regularly knitted wale (see Figure 11). In such a construction the fabric will have a greater stretch walewise as is clearly shown in Figure 14. It is to be understood that when my invention is applied to a stocking fabric at the portion thereof indicated in Figure 1, the body of the stocking may be knittedin the usual manner and with the well known and normal loop coll- 75 panel is constructed in the manner shown in Figstruction and onlya fabric area such as the one indicated in the fabric section 2 is knitted with the wales of omitted loops. The above referred to methods of producing the wales of omitted loops and of locking the same so as to confine them to the contemplated fabric area, are well known in the art` and it is believed unnecessary to describe the same more in detail herein.

Ifv desired, and for the purpose of preventing runs that may develop in the rest of the stocking fabric from extending into the fabric section 2,' there may be knitted in the fabric above and below said section a row or rows of locked stitches 5 and I such as are known in the art as "picot stitches.

When panels ofknitting are made in accordance with my invention, the open ends of the ladder" or run produced in the wales 3 may be locked during the knitting by methods well known in the art either to prevent the ladder" or run from continuing in the knitted fabric, or for the purpose of enabling the knitting of the -regularly knitted fabric to be continued. i If it is desired to give the elastic fabric area, knitted in accordance with my invention, additional strength, the fabric construction thereof may be reinforced by knitting the same with an additional thread. This may be accomplished in the same well known manner in which other areas of stocking fabric structures are caused to be strengthened and reinforced. Also, if it is desired that the looped structure in this area be made smaller in size, 'the size thereof may be reduced by knitting the said loops tighter in this section of the stocking than are the loops formed in the adjoining fabric. e

Instead of producing a knitted area in the `fabric portion 2 inv the manner indicated in Figure l, said area. may be knitted in the form of panels such as are illustrated in Figures 4 to 8. vThe panels as shown in these figures may be produced in a variety of shapes so that in addition to their functioning to produce an added elasticity in the fabric at the point where they are positioned they will also provide a pleasing and ornamental design in the knitted fabric. For instance, in Figure 4 the panel is shown as produced in rectangular shape with the wales 1 of omitted or dropped loops alternating with single wales 8 of regularly knitted loops. 'I'his particular knitted loop construction is also illustrated in Figure 11. In Figure 5 a diamond shaped panel is shown with the wales 9 of omitted or dropped loops alternating with single wales i0 of regularly knitted loops, and the omitted loops in the wales 8 are arranged so that they form a diamond shaped design in the fabric. In Figure 6 the panel is formed with a series of wales of dropped or omitted loops yH and I2 and the wales of dropped or omitted loops lI2 at the central portion of the panel alternate with single regularly knitted wales I3, and the wales of dropped or omitted loops Il at .the outer portion of the panel are separated from the central portion by a plurality of wales ,Il of regularly knitted loops.

It has been found in practice that though an elastic area constructed like .that shown in Figure 1, effectively relieves the strain placed on the stocking fabric, the comers of the said fabric area are subjected. to a considerable strain when the stocking fabric is stretched. 'Ihis is due to the sudden change in the character of knitting employed in producing said area. However, when a ures and 6 this difficulty is overcome andany strains placed upon the elastic area are effectively spread or distributed. In Figures 7 and 8 a staggered arrangement of the Wales l5 containing omitted or dropped loops is shown and said wales are separated from each other at the points where the omitted or .dropped loops are positionedby wales I6 of regularly knitted loops.

It is obvious that many other variations in the design of the panels may be made in carrying out the objects of my invention.

While I have described my invention as applied to a knitted stocking fabric it is to be understood that the invention is not restricted in its use in connection with such-a fabric only, but it may be used in connection with any knitted fabric which is to be used in making up a garment or a. covering for any object, and where stresses and strains are likely to be produced on the fabric at diierent points therein. Also my invention may be employed in connection with fabrics knit from silk, rayon or any other material which is adapted to -be used for knitting purposes.

I am aware of the fact that prior to my present invention there has been provided knitted fabrics, such as knitted stocking fabrics, wherein a plurality of so called openwork wales have been formed and said wales have been made so that they have extended for a considerable distance in the fabric. The openwork wales formed in these prior fabrics have been provided chiefly for the purpose of ornamenting the knitted fabric and for producing a pleasing effect to the eye, and were not intended for the purpose of affecting the character of the knitted fabric so as to give it an added elasticity in the direction of the wales of the knitting. As a matter of fact, in most all of these prior fabric constructions, the

openwork wales are positioned'in the fabric in such a manner that they are separated from each other by a large plurality of wales which are formed of regularly knitted loops of yarn, and with such a fabric construction therev could not be any appreciable added walewise stretch imparted to the fabric, because of said open work wales therein. The fabric area construction as contemplated by the present invention differs from these prior fabric constructions in that it is made as a definitely defined area in the knitted fabric and in said area the wales in which the knitted loops of the yarn have been omitted lare positioned so that they are separated from each other only by a small number of wales of regularly knitted loops. By this method of construction the knitted loops of yarn in the regularly knitted wales, which are between wales in which the loops have been omitted, can borrow yarn from said unlooped wales so that they will be increased in length whenever a walewise pull is imparted to the knitted fabric and thus the fabric in said area will have more elasticity in the direction of its wales than the regularly knitted fabric which surrounds the same.

What is claimed is:

A stocking having a strain absorbing area therein above the knee portion thereof, said area being knitted of the same type of thread as adjoining portions of the stocking and being formed of wales of regularly knitted loops of yarn spaced from each other by wales having portions thereof where the looped formation of the yarn has been omitted, and said portions in each of said last mentioned wales being positioned in staggered relation with respect to each other.

HANS P. LUBN. 

